To answer this question, you have to consider what’s in the inclusive package for the traveler. Whether you are booking a family vacation or a business incentive award package, you should be considering quality as well as quantity. How to decide when something is just “more” as opposed to “better” sometimes requires a little experience.
The idea of the inclusive vacation has had some fun poked at it. There are a few movies where a couple is on a pre-paid tropical vacation and ends up in a cheap motel with mosquito netting over a straw mat in place of a bed. People sometimes tell horror stories of their own about a vacation “deal” they thought was good and they ended up miserable.
Your job as a planner is to make sure your travelers have a great time and get more than they expect. Here, quality is key, and price means quality. So if your client has a salesperson he is rewarding with a trip to Fiji, it’s up to you to point out to the client that the cost equals the value.
If this particular client is reluctant to pay the right price for the perfect reward, try seeing if he or she will accept that the traveler pays for meals. That is often enough to ensure that you can provide high quality travel, accommodations and activities. If the client agrees to the idea that it will be a little pricey, you may be able to assemble travel packages that include meals, snacks, all beverages, and even tips! Now that is inclusive.
This all means that you, the planner, are the dividing line between “more” and “better.” Flexibility on your part and in your packages will be key to finding the ideal choice for you clients, but make sure you don’t sacrifice certain quality so you can include more in the package.
